The Distraction
by The-First-Polymythical
Summary: They only stayed at the base for two weeks and a single day, and out of those fifteen days he spent in its dark underground halls, he saw her only four times.  NOT a SasukexOC fic! A little SasuSaku though.
1. Encounter One

**I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking "Oh great, another SasukexOC fic." But that's not what this is. Yes, there is a very important OC in this, and the first chapter might make it look like I'm going to pair her with Sasuke. But really, if there are any pairings, it's SasukexSakura. I didn't even intend to put any pairings in this at all when I first started writing it, but things just turned out that way. So, if you really don't like the pairing, then you don't have to think of it that way. It's your choice. **

**I'm writing this mainly because I have no idea what I should do with the other fic I started, and thus have decided to take a break from it, even though I would still like to get it finished. And because I already have four chapters of this written. There will be five of them, by the way. **

**Anyways, I just need to take a second to say that I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would have come back to the Leaf after Itachi's death, most of the Akatsuki would still be alive, and Madara wouldn't look like an old fart.**

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><p>They only stayed at the base for two weeks and a single day, and out of those fifteen days he spent in its dark underground halls, he saw her only four times. But that doesn't mean he still doesn't remember her.<p>

Even though sometimes he wished that he didn't.

Encounter One

Day five

The sound of a flute filled the hallway, its energetic tune perfuming the still air with a lightness that had no place in a gruesome hellhole such as this.

This particular base was one of the many used for live human experimentation, and to Sasuke, the only noises that truly belonged were the screams that seemed to fill every corner of the hideout. Anything else seemed terribly out of place, especially this noise, which seemed to be something better suited for a party than the background music of a hell on earth.

So naturally, it distracted him. Sasuke went out of his way to avoid things that would hinder him from his goal for even one moment, but his curiosity was getting the better of him this time.

_Curiosity._ Now that was a word he had not used in a long time. There were many things in Orochimaru's hideout that he did not care about, and many more that he avoided because they disgusted him. Never once had he been curious about anything that was hidden in the depths of this place, nor any other place that Orochimaru had taken him, for that matter.

But this was different. Sasuke had stood at this corner and listened to this same flute for the past four days now (although the tune itself was a different one every day), and he wanted to at least _see_ the person mad enough to play such a lively tune in such an eerie abode.

So instead of going straight at the fifth "T" intersection from his room, he took a right, following his ears as they led him towards the song's origin. It took him only a few moments of walking to find what he sought.

This part of the hallway was in no way different from the one Sasuke had just come from. It was roughly cut stone that seemed to go on forever and ever in a labyrinth of twists and turns lit with a flaming torch every twenty feet or so. Every once in a while a wooden door would break the rarely changing pattern of stone and hint that yes, someone did actually live in this god forsaken place.

Sasuke could see that up ahead a door had been left open (which was odd, to say the least, since most non-subject inhabitants of any of Orochimaru's bases barricaded themselves in their rooms when they were not needed to try and save what little sanity most of them had left), and that light was spilling from the room out into the hallway along with the music.

Sasuke kept walking without hesitation, turning his head at the last moment to look into the aperture. The glance was fleeting, but Sasuke's keen eyes picked up on every detail of the musician before him. The flute player was a girl maybe a year or two older than himself, with pale skin that was not uncommon in this place. She had hair that looked like it was spun from gold, the perfect strands falling to the middle of her back. She sat on a standard wooden chair, her pale, bare feet pointed slightly. The girl had on a dress of pure white that halted just below her knees and suggested to Sasuke that this girl was not, in fact, a shinobi. She held a wooden flute up to her lips, and her eyes were closed as if her mind where in some far off place as she played her happy tune.

It was at the last moment that those heavily lashed eyes opened, revealing beautiful emerald irises that did not hesitate to look directly into his own onyx orbs.

Then Sasuke was past, the girl stolen from his view by the grey rock walls of the earth.

It took him a long time to find a way back to his room that did not involve going back past the mysterious girl and her cheerful song.

Day Five, Encounter One. Sasuke's thoughts.

Something about the girl's appearance put Sasuke on edge. He didn't know what. But now that he had seen the flutist, he wished that he hadn't. He couldn't get her image out of his mind, even though he had seen her only for a second. At first he thought with some horror that he might be _attracted _to this girl, but quickly realized that that wasn't the case. It was something else, of this he was certain.

But he didn't know what.

With a sigh he decided that only time could tell, and fell asleep.

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><p><strong>So there you have it, the first chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. . . although I will be posting up the rest of this story whether people like it or not =)<strong>


	2. Encounter Two

So, this is chapter two. I feel like I'm talking to myself (because I probably am) but anyways, this is where the whole "SasukexSakura" thing comes in. But again, you don't have to think of it that way if you don't want to.

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><p>Day Seven<p>

Training outdoors put Sasuke in a very, very good mood, although it's not like you could tell by looking to him. His facial expression remained one of calm indifference that made it impossible to even guess that the mere sight of full, green leaved trees sent him to a state of complete and utter bliss after being kept in the clutches of the earth for so long.

Needless to say, Orochimaru did not allow Sasuke out of his hideout very often, for rather obvious reasons. But the sanin knew that there were some lessons that were better learnt (and taught) outdoors. So the sensei and student were training outside today. (Never mind the fact that even Orochimaru sometimes felt the need to spend time out in the sunlight, a silly Konoha trait that he hadn't been able to shake all these years, however impractical it might be because really, what kind of ninja is attracted to _sunlight_, damn it?)

But the bottom line is, even though Sasuke felt like he might faint from sheer exhaustion, he was still in a far better mood than he had been in days.

Sunlight that filtered down through the trees warmed his pale skin, and the wind that rushed through the leaves was like music to his ears.

He was glad that his tired mind could focus only on putting one foot in front of the other. It prevented his thoughts from drifting for too long and too far away, lest he fall flat on his face.

Orochimaru had disappeared after dismissing Sasuke, leaving him with the simple order to go back to his room and rest. Sasuke however, had not the slightest intention of following such an order. He was going to stay outside and let his pale skin soak up as much sunlight as it could. And besides, Sasuke rarely followed Orochimaru's "orders" anyways.

After Sasuke judged himself to be a safe distance from both the clearing and Orochimaru's hideout, he leaned back against a tree and let himself sink to the ground. He closed his weary eyes and let the sunlight wash over his face.

_Heaven must feel just like this,_ he thought. _Too bad I'll never get to find out for myself_.

Sasuke felt himself slowly but steadily drifting to sleep, when the sound of a sharp, clear pitched note jolted him awake. Suddenly the air around him was filled with a noise he had become very familiar with in recent days.

The golden-haired girl's flute music.

The song she played was calm, yet very lively, like a spring breeze come to life.

Sasuke carefully pushed himself to his feet, and began making his way towards the sound of the music, his aching limbs forgotten.

_I just need one more look at her_, Sasuke thought, _and then I will be able to tell what about her bothers me so much._

Hidden in the shadows of a great oak tree's leaves, Sasuke picked out the flutist.

She was perched high up on a tree branch, her legs hanging down and her feet bare once again. Her eyes were shut as she played, and this made a feeling of relief wash over Sasuke. Why?

What was it about this girl's eyes that made him feel so-

The girl eyes opened with a sudden flourish, revealing bright green orbs that were starring right at him.

It was in that moment that he realized what about this girl that distracted him so much.

Looking into her emerald-colored eyes and seeing the interest and care there was like seeing _her_ staring at him again. . .

Her skin was paler, her frame more delicate, and her expression more morbid, but her eyes were just like Sakura's.

Suddenly he felt the need to get away.

And the flute player's song never faltered.

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><p>Yes, I know it was short, but I write short chapters. And the next one is kind of a part two to this chapter anyways.<p>

So, thanks for reading and please review!


	3. An Encounter with Kabuto

An Encounter with Kabuto

Day Seven

All Sasuke wanted was to retreat back into his prison cell of a room and fall into a blissful unconsciousness, although it seemed that fate had other plans.

After stumbling along in the darkened hallways for what felt like an eternity, Sasuke turned a corner and nearly walked straight into Kabtuo. Thankfully he wasn't delirious enough to actually collide with him, and instead jumped back about a foot.

_Of all the god forsaken hallways in this hole, he had to be in this one, right now?_ Sasuke thought with slight irritation.

"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here?" Kabuto asked. Sasuke thought he saw spots of blood on the medic ninja's hands. Oh God, what part of the base was he _in_?

"None of your business," Sasuke snapped, despite his panic. He hadn't realized until now that he had no idea where he was.

"Really? Because it looks to me like you might be in need of some assistance. . ." Kabuto stated innocently as he pushed up his glasses.

"Not from you," Sasuke snarled, but Kabuto just continued talking as if he hadn't said anything.

"Since you seem to be a bit lost."

Sasuke scowled, but didn't say anything. Kabuto took it as a silent confirmation and a small smirk formed on his face.

"I could lead you back to your room, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto suggested, but all he got in reply was a fierce glare from Sasuke, although the raven followed him when he began making his way down the hallway.

It wasn't long before they had reached the Uchiha's living quarters. Sasuke pushed open the door without a word, and his gaze stayed firmly in front of him. It was obvious he had no intention of saying 'thank you'.

"Is there anything else you need, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto said in a voice that seemed half genuine concern and half taunting. Sasuke was going to slam the door in Kabuto's face, but a question escaped his lips before he could accomplish the action.

"That girl with the flute, who is she?"

Kabuto seemed a bit taken aback by the question, but answered all the same.

"Tori. But I haven't heard anyone call her that in ages. The people here call her The Piper," Kabuto stated, then, "what, has she been _distracting_ you, Sasuke-kun?" he asked in a mocking tone.

With a glare, Sasuke shut the door in Kabuto's face, although the silver-haired missing nin kept talking. "You should be weary of her Sasuke-kun; she has a very strange effect on people!"

Then Sasuke heard footsteps retreating down the hallway, leaving him glaring fiercely at the closed door.

XxXxXxXxX

Day Seven, Encounter Two. Sasuke's thoughts.

Sakura. He could not get the girl out of his head. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed her. Of course he missed Naruto and Kakashi as well, and heck, he even missed the rest of the Rookie Nine a little. . . But he didn't have time to think about them. Or Sakura. And if Tori was going to distract him, then he would forget about her, too. He could not afford to get distracted. Not with Itachi so far ahead of him.

He had all the resources to get stronger here.

And that was what he was going to do.

It was what he came to do.

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><p><strong>So that's chapter three. It's more like the second half of chapter two, but I wrote them as two different things so I figured that I would just submit them that way as well.<strong>


	4. Encounter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.**

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><p>Day Eight<p>

Sasuke could not focus. This, Orochimaru thought, was obvious. Something was bothering him, and the snake Sanin could guess all too easily what it was.

He was second guessing himself again. It was to be expected. Sasuke had made a very important life decision when he chose to come to him, and that had been only about two months ago. So naturally, he was still wondering if he had made the right decision. Orochimaru could relate to the feeling (or at the very least remember a time in which he could), although the idea of trying to set the young Uchiha's mind to rest never truly occurred to him. He knew that Sasuke would push him away if he tried, and honestly Orochimaru cared very little about the boy's psychological state. So instead, he sent the boy away and told him to come back once he had cleared his head.

XxXxXxXxX

Sasuke didn't think that he could find a distraction interesting enough to restrain his restless thoughts today. Training had obviously failed him, and unless his sanity had entirely slipped away overnight (which Sasuke supposed was very possible here) there was not much else he could do. He was tempted to try and get some sleep at first, but then realized that lying still would only make matters worse.

So he had resorted to wandering the halls aimlessly, although he did his best to avoid people, prisoners and ninja alike. That was when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, and whirled around scowling because who could sneak up on him but Orochimaru?

But instead of seeing the snake sanin's twisted smile, he found the flute player – _Tori _– standing behind him, a slight smile on her pale face.

So, she was a ninja, after all. She looked the same as the last time he had seen her, except now she wore standard grey ninja sandals and had an Oto headband tied around her neck. She also had a plain tan sack slung over her shoulder that Sasuke guessed contained her flute.

But still, it was hard for him to picture her without the wooden instrument, even with the girl standing right in front of him.

"Konnichiwa, Sasuke-san," Tori greeted politely.

"Do you need something?" Sasuke asked, a bit more roughly than he had intended.

Tori, unfazed by Sasuke's harsh tone, smiled more widely, although not in a menacing way, as most people in the Sound village seemed to. "I just wanted to ask you something," she said. "In regards to the song you heard me playing out in the woods yesterday."

She felt like he was trying to stare into her soul, he was looking into her eyes so intensely. When Sasuke didn't say anything she continued.

"It's something that I wrote myself, called 'Cherry Blossoms'," she explained, and although she didn't show it, she noticed the way Sasuke nearly flinched away at the words. She wondered why he reacted that way, unknowing that she had named her song after one of his former friends. "And I wanted to ask you, did you like it?" she finished, her green eyes filled with curiosity.

Sasuke wasn't sure what to say. It was partly because he was still recovering from her earlier comment and partly because in all of the times he had stopped to listen to her play he had never really thought about if he _liked _the music or not. It was simply a welcome difference from the normal pattern of life with Orochimaru.

"I don't really have an ear for music," Sasuke said expressionlessly.

"Is that so?" Tori asked with a sly smile that _still _didn't seem in the slightest bit menacing. Sasuke got the feeling that she knew exactly how many times he had stood listening to her spin her tune.

"Yes, it is," Sasuke replied, and then moved to walk around the flutist. He could stand the intensity of her emerald eyes no longer, a fact that he struggled to hide.

Tori didn't block his path, instead just turned to watch him leave. "I've been thinking of composing a tune for you, Sasuke-san!" she called, but Sasuke didn't reply nor did he turn around.

He knew it was best to just walk away from this distraction.

XxXxXxXxX

As Sasuke retreated down the hall, he thought he heard one of the prisoners humming Tori's song.

But then again, it was probably just his imagination.

XxXxXxXxX

Day Eight, Encounter Three. Sasuke's thoughts.

Sasuke was sure that last time he had sat down and thought, he had decided that he would not let Tori be a distraction to him. But these sorts of things relied on the agreement of both parties, and Tori had obviously not agreed to leave him alone. She probably did not even realize how much she was bothering him.

_We can't be staying here much longer, _Sasuke thought. _I just have to live with her until we leave. Then I can be free of her, and Sakura, until this is over._


	5. Encounter Four

**In writing this, I have realized something about myself. And that would be that when I write something on paper, it sucks. And that when I write something on paper and then transfer it to my computer, it still sucks, although when I edit it and add stuff it tends to suck less. The only time when my writing is at it's best is when I can sit down and type the whole thing from beginning to end on my computer. This is a terrible realization since because of school I can't type up everything when I think it. It's sad, but it's why this entire story is so awful. Buy anyways, here's the last chapter. **

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><p>Sasuke, true to his word, kept himself a safe distance from Tori and her provocative green eyes. Even when he heard her music drifting down the hall he didn't stop, didn't allow himself to listen.<p>

Because it only took a few moments of listening to make him doubt his decision, make him miss his old life enough to want to go back. And it took a lot of thoughts of his brother to make those thoughts go away.

Encounter Four

Day Fifteen

It was on the morning of the fifteenth day that Orochimaru announced that they would be moving on.

It didn't surprise Sasuke, since this was the third hideout in which they had stayed in only this month. He had been expecting it to happen anytime now.

And while part of him was relieved to be moving on, another part, which he tried to assure himself was much smaller, didn't want to leave just yet. It wanted to stay here and slowly be convinced of its place in Konoha until he could bear it no more and returned. . .

_But I've already sold my soul to the devil, _Sasuke reminded himself.

XxXxXxXxX

Sasuke stood just outside of the base's entrance, a small sack slung over his shoulder as he waited for Orochimaru to appear. Kabuto waited beside him, similarly equipped, and although he had said his usual formal greeting, Sasuke had no retuned it. He didn't even bother to look over at the medic-nin.

When Orochimaru finally appeared the trio set off, Sasuke refusing to fall behind Kabuto but still keeping off to the side slightly. They were traveling through trees, but Orochimaru had already told him that the landscape would change by the day's end.

They didn't get very far before Sasuke heard the noise. The sound of a flute playing not far off in the distance and getting loser quickly. He would have known it was Tori even if she hadn't been playing her song.

Cherry Blossoms.

Suddenly he saw her, dancing up in the tree tops, flitting from branch to branch with remarkable grace as she played her melody.

And on the forest floor stumbled a group of what any shinobi could tell where civilians. Innocents. Sasuke had heard them called that many times.

Men, women, and even children all followed after Tori in a drunken daze, and the presence of a genjutsu was startlingly obvious. But it was strong, stronger than one would need to decommission twice as many "Innocents", and for a moment it even threatened to suck Sasuke in.

But then one last glance at the flutist herself broke the spell as it revealed what he could not see before.

Her emerald green eyes, filled with a sly triumph, startled Sasuke out of his half-dazed state and made him almost miss his next jump.

But instead he pushed off hard, some force inside himself pulling him away from the female Oto-nin.

That was when Orochimaru spoke up.

"It's too bad we have to move on," he began with a slight sigh of disappointment. "It looks like Tori has brought a fresh group of test subjects."

Sasuke was glad to be moving on, because now he finally got it.

Finally understood why Toru was here. Of course it was obvious now, and he realized that if he had been in a right state of mind it would have been obvious before as well.

Her nickname.

The prisoners humming her tine.

Even her eyes, that invited you in a dispelled any distrust.

It all disgusted him, and when he thought of Tori, he didn't think of Sakura anymore.

Instead he thought of Orochimaru's twisted grin, Kauto's morbid curiosity, and the cries of the innocent as they died in pain.

**End.**


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